Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (publ)

Fabian Castro Castro

Susana Fernandez Alonso

Ana Maria Lopez Nieto

John Stenfelt

Irene Martin Cabello

Reiner Ludwig

Miguel Angel Muñoz De La Torre Alonso

Daniel Nilsson

Angel Navas Cornejo

Victor Ferraro Esparza

Pablo Molinero Fernandez

David Shrader

Avelina Pardo-Blazquez

Marta Montejo Ayala

Juan Pedro García Cervigón

Maria Pilar González Lopéz

Pilar Gonzalez Lopez

Juan Pedro Garcia CERVIGÓN

The present invention faces the issue of authorizing redirection services in PCC architecture and provides for a PCRF server adapted to determine redirection per service in an IP-CAN session, a PCEF device adapted to receive redirection information per service basis, to determine redirection per service request and to trigger the redirection; and a method of authorizing a redirection service in a PCC architecture, comprising: upon an IP-CAN session establishment or modification, a PCEF device requesting control rules; a PCRF server determining services requiring redirection and answering with control rules and redirection information per service basis; installing at the PCEF device the control rules and redirection information; upon a first request for a service, the PCEF device determining the service redirection and returning a redirection message with a redirection identifier; and upon completion of the service redirection, the first request for the service reaching the PCEF, the PCEF verifying the service is authorized and submitting a service allowance towards the service server in charge of the service.

Service redirection from a policy and charging control architecture

The present invention relates to a methods and network nodes for controlling resources of a service session in a communication network as well as to a corresponding system and computer program to improve the handling of resources in the network, and particularly to optimize signaling in the network. The method for controlling resources for a service session by a policy and charging system in a communication network comprises the steps of obtaining, at a first network node, a request including service session data indicating the type of service; determining, based on the service session data obtained at said first network node, a resource type to be assigned to said service; and sending to a second network node an indication of said resource type assigned to said service, according to which resource type it is determined when a service session associated with said service is terminated.

Methods and network nodes for controlling resources of a service session as well as corresponding system and computer program

Control of a maximum bit rate in a multi-access network scenario that includes a 3GPP access and a non-3GPP access. This maximum bit rate control is enforced in a wireless device having a first radio access and a second radio access to a communications network, the first radio access being a cellular communication access and the second radio access being a non-cellular communication access. The wireless device receives, via the first radio access or the second radio access, a Multi-Access User Equipment Aggregated Maximum Bit Rate, Multi-Access-UE-AMBR, value and/or a User Equipment Aggregated Maximum Bit Rate, UE-AMBR, value for the second radio access, and ensures that a bit rate of traffic generated by the wireless device and/or received by the wireless device does not surpass the received Multi-Access-UE-AMBR and/or said UE-AMBR value for the second radio access.

Maximum bit rate control in a multi-access network

There is provided mobile gateway selection performed by a PCRF node in communication with an MME node or an S4-SGSN. The mobile gateway selection is based on a direct MME/S4-SGSN-PCRF interface. A request message for a Packet Data Network Gateway Internet Protocol address to be used for establishing a session for a first user equipment is transmitted from the MME/S4-SGSN to a Policy and Charging Rules Function node through a direct MME/S4-SGSN-PCRF interface. The Policy and Charging Rules Function node determines a PDN GW IP address to be used for establishing the session based on policies for the first user equipment and transmits the PDN GW IP address through the direct MME/S4-SGSN-PCRF interface to the MME/S4-SGSN.

Mobile gateway selection using a direct connection between a PCRF node and a mobility management node

For authorizing redirection services in a policy and charging control architecture, a policy and charging control rules function (PCRF) server determines control rules and redirection information per service in an internet protocol connectivity access network session, and a policy charging and enforcement function (PCEF) device receives control rules and redirection information per service basis, determines redirection per service request, and triggers the redirection. Upon a first request for a service, the PCEF device returns a redirection message with a redirection identifier; and upon completion of the service redirection, the first request for the service reaching the PCEF, the PCEF verifies the service is authorized and submits a service allowance toward the service server in charge of the service. Methods are also disclosed.

This specification faces the issue of unnecessary signalling between PCRF clients and the PCRF, where there is just one PCRF, and the issue of selecting by PCRF clients a right PCRF, where there are more than one PCRF. To solve these issues, this specification provides for PCC deployment information stored in a subscriber database and transmitted to a final node, likely through intermediate nodes. This PCC deployment information identifies one or more PCC interfaces that apply for a UE and, for each of the one or more PCC interfaces, at least one node that requires contacting a PCRF node identified by a PCRF address. A node receiving the PCC deployment information determines, based on the PCC deployment information, whether a PCRF node has to be contacted and, if it is determined that the PCRF node has to be contacted, such node initiates a session with the PCRF node identified by the corresponding PCRF address.

Policy and charging rules function (PCRF) selection

According to the present invention there is provided a method of ensuring that all AF sessions for an IP-CAN session reach the same PCRF when more than one PCRF is deployed in an operator network. The method involves configuring a PCRF such that, upon receipt of a request relating to the establishment or modification of the IP-CAN session, the PCRF determines one or more Application Detection and Control (ADC) rules for identifying application messages associated with the IP-CAN session and that require that an address of the PCRF must be included in the identified AF session messages. The PCRF is further configured to provision the one or more ADC rules at an ADC node.

Methods and apparatus for implementing policy and charging control

In a method for providing a service requiring data connectivity between at least two user terminals (), a first PCRF () determines (s) that there is no available data quota associated with a first user terminal () for the data connectivity required for the service to be provided. The first PCRF () notifies (s) an AF () about the determination, which in turns notifies (s) an application service provider (). The application service provider () requests (s) a second user terminal () to sponsor the data connectivity of the first user terminal () so as to permit the data connectivity required for the service to be provided. The invention also relates to network nodes for participating in providing such services, and to user terminals and computer programs.

Advanced policy and charging control methods, network nodes and computer programs for sponsored data connectivity by peers

According to the invention in a first aspect, there is provided a communication device () configured to form part of a telecommunications network and to carry out an access network discovery and selection function, ANDSF. The communication device comprises a receiver () configured to receive a request for access network policy information relating to a user equipment, UE, () and current UE location data. The communication device comprises a policy information unit () configured to determine primary information comprising access network policy information for the UE based at least in part on the current UE location data. The policy information unit is further configured to determine secondary information specifying one or more further UE locations at which the UE should make a further request for access network policy information. The communication device comprises a transmitter () configured to transmit the primary and secondary information towards the UE.

Access network discovery and selection function (ANDSF) using policy validity conditions and area update policy instructions

In a method for providing, for a terminal device, a service or service component requiring a first packet-forwarding treatment, a network node hosting a policy decision function determines that a dedicated bearer for carrying the traffic associated with the service or service component requiring the first packet-forwarding treatment cannot be used. This occurs when the service is initiated or, in the alternative, for an ongoing service. The service or service component is then initiated or, in the alternative, maintained, using a fallback bearer allowing the traffic associated with the service or service component to be carried with a second packet-forwarding treatment differing from the first one. The invention also relates to a method carried out, in such a context, by a network node hosting an application function, and to computer programs, computer program products and storage mediums for carrying out such methods.

Methods, devices and computer programs for providing a service or service component requiring a specific packet-forwarding treatment

The invention relates to a method to route a diameter message of a data packet session in a mobile communications network. A diameter routing unit receives a diameter message and checks whether an indicator is set, the indicator indicating that the message relates to a data packet session for which a policy and charging control unit has already been selected. When the indicator is set the policy and charging control unit is identified and the message is transmitted to the identified policy and charging control unit.

Selection of a policy and charging control unit by a diameter routing unit

In a method carried out by a first and second policy and charging rules functions (PCRF) (), the first PCRF receives (s), from a policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF) (), an IP-CAN session establishment indication, determines (s) first policy decision information, causes (s) a database () accessible by both PCRFs to store, in association with a session identifier, session information comprising the session data and the first policy decision information; and provides (s), to the PCEF, the first policy decision information. Later, the second PCRF receives (s), from the PCEF, a session modification indication, obtains (s) therefrom the session identifier, retrieves (s), from the database, the session information, determines (s) second policy decision information; causes (s) the database to store session information comprising the modified session data and second policy decision information; and provides (s), to the PCEF, the second policy decision information. The invention also relates to a system putting into practice such method.

High-availability, scalable policy and charging control systems, and methods therefor

In order to support generation of network statistics, a policy controller () of a mobile network may be provided with a network statistics generator () and with an interface (Ni) to a network intelligence function (). The network statistics generator () may use these interfaces of the policy controller () for obtaining information needed to generate the network statistics. In addition, the network statistics generator () may also use information which is locally available at the policy controller (). In other words, the policy controller () or one or more other nodes may act as sources of information for generating the network statistics. The network statistics generator () may select types of information to be used for compiling a certain network statistic and also suitably select nodes to be used as sources of information for obtaining these types of information. This may for example be accomplished on the basis of a request received from the network intelligence function ().

Policy controller based network statistics generation

In a method carried out in a telecommunication network, a policy decision function provides an instruction to a policy enforcement function and/or a traffic detection function. Within the instruction, some service instances of a service are identified by the order according to which the service instances are started. The instruction also indicates: (i) a service instance level reporting rule according to which the policy enforcement function and/or traffic detection function should report, or should not report, information to the policy decision function after occurrence of an event relating to any one of the identified service instances; and/or (ii) a service instance level enforcement rule that the policy enforcement function and/or traffic detection function should enforce on a received packet relating to any one of the identified service instances. The invention also relates to network nodes and computer programs.

Advanced service-aware policy and charging control methods, network nodes, and computer programs

The embodiments herein relate to a method in a Policy and Charging Rules Function, PCRF, node (), for handling User Equipment-Aggregated Maximum Bit Rate, UE-AMBR, for a wireless device () in a communications network (). The PCRF node () comprises a direct interface () with a Mobility Management Entity/Serving General packet radio service Support Node, MME/SGSN (). The PCRF node () receives a subscribed UE-AMBR from the MME/SGSN () using the direct interface (). The subscribed UE-AMBR is associated with a wireless device subscription. When triggered, the PCRF node () calculates a UE-AMBR based on the subscribed UE-AMBR and based policies associated with the wireless device (). The PCRF node () transmits the calculated UE-AMBR to the MME/SGSN () using the direct interface ().

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Madrid, Spain

Fabian Castro Castro